Friday, December 11, 2009

Dumplings, Minus the Take-Out

In the past whenever Chinese take-out was the dinner plan, I would always order vegetable dumplings. Fried. I know, so bad. But between that and vegetable spring rolls, they are my favorite. So the other night I was in the mood for dumplings, but I decided rather than take-out, why not make my own? I knew it would be a bit of a process, but I'd rather spend the extra time and know exactly what I was eating and be able to fry them myself. I used a recipe from You Won't Believe It's Vegan! and it came out great. Rather than go through the recipe, I'll review the process. Like I said, this is a bit time consuming, but it isn't hard. And it is totally worth it.

Start with your dumpling filling. I used a recipe, but really, you can put anything in you like. Put a small spoonful of filling in the center of a wonton wrapper. Fold it closed and seal the edges closed with a little arrowroot and water mixture (see the white paste in the little bowl). You can crimp the edges really closed with a fork.Look at all those dumplings. And I wasn't even done putting them all together yet. Yum.Next, get some canola oil heated to medium high in a pan. Add a few dumplings at a time, not crowding the pan.Cook them for about a minute, until browned. Keep your eye on them, because they cook fast. Flip the dumplings.Cook for another minute until the other side is browned, then remove the dumplings and drain on paper towels. Repeat until all the dumplings are cooked.I served these wonderful dumplings with a peanut dipping sauce and sriracha. Crispy on the outside, warm and chewy on the inside, and even more flavorful than any take-out. You will not be interested in getting dumplings anywhere outside of your own kitchen once you make them yourself!